From A Distance
by WizardMichi
Summary: 8th years return to Hogwarts and try to get through it all without turning on each other. Dramione HEA EWE Rated M for reasons.
1. Chapter 1

From A Distance

Chapter 1 - Brand New Day

oOo

The grounds were bathed in warm sunlight and the gentle sounds of twittering birds and rustling leaves stretched along the landscape. Draco was sat against his favorite tree on the sloping hill that led to the Black Lake. He had been sitting there trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible, thinking about how lucky he was to have even been allowed back. The years prior put his life into sharp focus, and he could not help but to gulp down all of his emotions anytime he thought about it all. His circumstance had led him down an impossibly dark road, almost swallowing him whole in the process. Thank Merlin for Snape. Thank Merlin for Potter. Thank his lucky goddamn stars that the new Minister for Magic agreed to rehabilitation instead of incarceration.

Draco sighed, and fiddled with a blade of grass he'd plucked up from the ground beneath him. He was so lost in his thoughts, he had not noticed the small group of friends that settled themselves down closer to the lake, on a little flat patch. He watched them each pile atop the blanket they placed down. A picnic. They were having a picnic, smiling and laughing together as if last year never happened.

He watched Granger open the basket and start pulling all sorts of different plates and containers filled with different foods and treats out and set them down in front of the others. He watched the youngest Weasley swat at her brothers hands as he tried to pick at things before the plates were even set out, and he watched Potter laughing merrily as he handed out bottles of chilled pumpkin juice. Longbottom set to work slicing a loaf of bread up, and Lovegood took up the very important task of banishing any of the creatures only she seemed to know about from their immediate area so as not to allow them easy access in stealing their picnic. Draco felt a small smirk pull at his lips. Regardless of the fact seeing them made him feel even lonelier than he already was, he was still glad for the fact that the threat of war and death was behind them all, and they could at least try and enjoy a final return to Hogwarts for their 8th year in relative peace.

He tossed the grass away, and turned his eyes back to the glistening surface of the lake. The water rippled lightly against the breeze, and every now and then the Giant Squid could be seen waving its long tentacle arms above the waters surface. Draco stared blankly, trying to stop his mind wandering back to things he would rather not remember. Sometimes he was tempted to beg his Godfather to modify his memory, but he knew he could never do it. Those experiences, as bad as they were, taught him some very valuable, albeit extremely difficult, lessons. They would mold him and he knew they must remain, no matter the ache he felt because of it all.

"There you are. We were worried when you didn't show up for breakfast again today."

Draco looked up into the face of his best friend, and fellow Slytherin, Theodore Nott.

"Sorry Theo... just fancied some quiet, you know?"

Theo dropped down beside him and sighed. "Yeah, I know. Is it helping?"

He shrugged. "Can't really tell just yet."

They sat silently together for several minutes, until the loud laughter of that group of friends down the hill reached them.

"Ever wonder what that kind of friendship is like?"

Draco's eyes drifted back to the group, and a sad expression crossed his features. "More than I would like to admit."

oOo

Hermione had to wipe the tears out of her eyes as she laughed with her friends. It felt so good to be together again and relax. Not having to worry about impending doom or the fate of the world as they knew it was so refreshing, and they grasped onto it together with fervor.

"No, no! I swear! He came running down the stairs with his trousers at his ankles, and she was chasing him with a goblet in hand. I have never seen anyone throw something with that much precision in my life! Got him right in the back of his head!" Ron was saying animatedly among more raucous peels of laughter.

Harry caught his breath and said, "I just cannot believe Mr Bagman thought he could go behind Madam Rosmerta's back like that, in her own pub! I mean, did he honestly think he would get away with that? He had to of known she would see all the booked rooms and find his name!"

Ginny scrunched up her nose. "Not to mention, he decided to sneak around with Rita Skeeter of all people!"

Everyone except Luna groaned in disgust. "How much do you want to bet this whole incident gets put into the next edition of the Prophet?" Ron asked, eyes wide.

"Ron! You should not place bets on a persons misfortune!" Hermione gasped, shooting him her most scandalized expression. He only shrugged, and turned his attention back to the pie on his plate.

Neville laughed again and pat Hermione's arm and Luna handed her a strawberry. She accepted both gestures, and popped the berry into her mouth. As she chewed, her eyes traveled along the curve of the hill and rested on the two boys sitting under the shade of the school grounds only apple tree. She watched them for a long moment. They were not speaking, save for a few words here and there and nods or shrugs in return. They looked so worn out and sad. Part of her wanted to chide herself for even caring. The other, bigger and more forgiving part of her, wanted to extend an olive branch of some kind, and perhaps help them feel a bit better if she could.

She hadn't realized she'd been staring until suddenly silver grey eyes snapped up to meet her warm brown ones. She blinked a few times, and felt her stomach bottom out at the rigid and cold severity of his expression. She hastily turned back to her friends and tried to pay attention to what Luna was saying about travelling abroad over the next summer holidays, but found her thoughts still annoyingly preoccupied by the blond boy whom she knew was still glaring at her from under that tree.

oOo

"What was that about?" Theo asked, looking between his friend and the girl at the bottom of their hill.

Draco visibly sagged, and shook his head. "I don't know. Habit. Reflex. I feel like I always have to be defensive when it comes to that lot."

"Potter and Weasley I can kind of understand. You three could hex each other to pieces if given the opportunity-"

"We _were_ given the opportunity, multiple times-" Draco interrupted, but Theo plowed on, slightly louder, "-but surely the others aren't so bad. Granger only fought you if you poked fun at her or her friends first. She never sought to bring you misery."

Draco looked at Theo in frustration. "I know that, Nott. I told you, it's just defensive. I can't help myself."

"Maybe you should try." he replied, an amused look on his face.

"Why? Why bother? After this year, I will leave the country and never return. I will never cross paths with any of them again. I want to just keep my head down, finish this year and move on with my life." Draco said sulkily. He watched his friend skip through several different emotions before settling back on being amused.

"Because, Draco, the Golden Girl herself is making a point to come over here despite her friends protests, and I assume since you want to avoid drawing attention to yourself, you will be civil to her after all."

Draco felt his eyes go wide with shock, and his head whipped around to look toward the group of heroes. Sure enough, Granger was almost upon where they were sitting. He could see Weasley on his feet back at the blanket while Potter and Longbottom tried unsuccessfully to pull him back down. His eyes fell back onto Granger when she finally stopped in front of them. It was an extremely awkward feeling, being so close to this girl for the first time since the Easter holiday in the Manor. He couldn't even begin to figure out what he should say. Thankfully, Theo got to his feet and leaned against the tree.

"Hi there, Granger. What can we do for you?" he said coolly. Draco slowly got to his feet as well, and kept his eyes on the ground. He could see her shift uncomfortably on her feet.

"Um, well, my friends and I are all having a picnic together down there, and I just thought- well, I noticed you both sitting up here and I thought you looked a bit gloomy, so um, I wanted to bring you a bit to eat- unless you have already had breakfast, than I understand- but I wasn't sure so-"

Theo suddenly laughed as Granger fumbled over her words nervously. "Granger, relax. We don't bite. At least not in public."

Draco rolled his eyes and huffed out an impatient breath. Granger shifted again on her feet and sputtered in surprise.

"What- oh well, right, okay um... So, I brought you some sausage and toast as well as some fruit and these pumpkin juices. If you want them, anyway."

Draco looked up at her finally when she held out her hands to offer them two plates covered with napkins, and each had cutlery placed on top to stop the breeze taking the cover away.

"That was really thoughtful, thank you Granger. As it happens, Malfoy here skipped breakfast, and I didn't eat much since I came looking for him. This is much appreciated."

Granger beamed at him as he took the plates off her hands, and she looked uneasily at him.

"Um, well I hope you enjoy... See you guys around I suppose."

Draco felt Theo nudge him slightly with his elbow, so Draco straightened his back and cleared his throat. :Thanks, Granger." He said, and she offered a small smile and nod before walking away from them and back to her friends.

"Was that so difficult, Malfoy?"

"Exceedingly." was his reply and Theo laughed again and offered him a plate.

oOo

**Authors Note:**

**I have no idea why I am starting a new fic. This idea popped into my head and I needed to get it written and published. Let me know what you think. Also, for anyone waiting on my Harmony fic called Help Me Breathe to be updated, I am working on it. Life is a thing, and it got the better of me. I will be updating that one soon. Cheers!**


	2. Chapter 2

From A Distance

Chapter 2 - To Make Amends

oOo

Draco was doing his best to act like nothing was bothering him, however it seemed the general consensus of the student body on this particular September day was to make him as miserable as possible. He knew coming back to Hogwarts would be a challenge for him, but even he had to admit how impressed he was at his peers newfound creativity. He grit his teeth, though. He knew he deserved everything that was happening to him now. Karma was making herself well known.

"Oi, Malfoy!" a voice called from across the hall Draco just stepped into. He hesitated, wanting to turn around and head the opposite way, but also not wanting to show any weakness. He decided to keep his head down and push forward. As he got closer to the group of students waiting outside the Charms classroom, he became acutely aware of the rapid thudding of his heart.

"Hey, you Pureblood filth, I am talking to you!" the voice, he now recognized to be that of Seamus Finnegan, hollered again. Draco was almost able to pass them by, were it not for one of the other students grabbing a fistful of his robes to shove him into the cold stone wall. Draco stood still against it, still with his head down, refusing to provoke or retaliate in any way. In his mind he kept repeating that he was here on their new Minister for Magic's grace, and he would not do anything to jeopardize it.

"What's the matter, Malfoy? To chicken shit to tell me off? Was the big bad Slytherin just an act?" Seamus sneered, getting into Draco's face, causing him to twitch slightly. "You don't belong here, snake! You belong in Azkaban to rot with your parents and all your psychotic Death Eater friends!" He snapped suddenly, and before Draco could prepare himself for it, he felt Seamus connect his fist to his abdomen.

He grunted in pain and keeled over, clutching his stomach and gripping the wall. He exhaled a few labored breaths, and squeezed his eyes shut. No one had been directly violent with him yet this year, so this was a slight shock. To be quite honest, he was surprised it'd taken this long. Three weeks since term started, and his first time having to take a punch. He supposed that wasn't too bad.

Just then, the door to the classroom opened, and Professor Flitwick eyed them all suspiciously. "What is all the commotion?" he squeaked, moving his gaze over Draco's slightly slumped form and Seamus standing just a few paces away from him. Everyone else was either stood staring wide eyed at their professor or shamefully at the floor.

Draco straightened with a small grimace, and replied, "Apologies Professor. I tripped over someone's bag and hit the wall." No one made a sound, and he could tell their Professor did not believe him. He let the matter drop, regardless, and ushered everyone inside for the lesson of the day.

Draco chose his usual seat in the second row of the class. No one sat with him at his small table and he was perfectly happy with that. He pulled out all his books and materials for the lecture and steadily took notes, all the while keeping his eyes down and his mind as blank as he could. He refused to let them get the better of him. He would make it through the school year and finally request permission from the Minister to settle abroad during his probationary period. He just needed to stay on his best behavior, no matter what.

oOo

Hermione made her way to the Great Hall for lunch, quietly smiling as her friends told a rather animated retelling of what was no dubbed the Bagman chronicles to some of their other peers. The summer before term had been filled with a lot of volunteer work around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, and often times, large groups of students and members of the Order would meet up at the end of their days for a drink in the Three Broomsticks. It was safe to say, they all had many interesting stories to share of what Mr Bagman had gotten up to behind Madam Rosmerta's back.

They finally made it to the hall and everyone split up to their respective House tables, except Luna, who had become much more comfortable sitting among the Gryffindors. Hermione settled down at the table and went about making a bowl or porridge for herself, adding lots of berries as well as some honey. She had gotten a few bites down before she started scanning the Hall absentmindedly, and her eyes landed on a particular Slytherin boy sitting alone at the very end of his table. She noticed several of his Housemates glancing his way and than quickly turning to each other to whisper something. She frowned. Was this how it always was? How had she not noticed? Her frown deepened. Of course she didn't notice. He did so well blending into the walls nowadays, and she was much more focused on finally having a quiet and normal year at Hogwarts. She felt a small pang in her chest, and felt ashamed for only being concerned for herself.

She took a few more bites of her porridge, and watched as that boy, Theo, entered the Hall and sat down beside Malfoy. That was the only time the blond looked up and was the only time he seemed to come to life just a little bit. Hermione felt a tug at the corners of her lips. Somehow, it made her feel better that even Malfoy had someone to lean on when he was feeling alone.

oOo

Cursing to himself, Draco moved as quickly and quietly as he could through the castle. He was trying to reach the Transfiguration classroom for his next lesson of the day, but had to dodge a squadron of Gryffindors in one of the corridors. He took a longer route, and panicked at the thought of being late. The Minister made it very clear to him that he should have a damn good excuse for arriving late to any lesson, and Draco surmised that he meant nothing less than being just shy of dying would suffice. Shaking his head, he set aside any pride he may have had left and took off at a run. He silently prayed to any deity or spirit listening to keep his path clear, and only breathed out in relief when he made it to the classroom just in time. He felt a scowl forming on his face, however, when he realized he was last to arrive and the only seat left available was the one right next to Granger.

Tossing his bag down, he took the seat and from the corner of his eye he noticed the girl stiffen slightly beside him. '_Well, of course she doesn't want to be near you. No one does, unless it's to make you feel like shit. She may be kind, but even someone like her has their limits._' He thought, bitterly.

He pulled out his notes and book and quickly started on the lesson assigned to them. He was acutely aware of every time Granger gave into her curiosity and stared at him before shaking herself and trying to focus back on her notes. After the last time, he snapped.

"What do you want, Granger?" he whispered angrily, turning slightly to face her. She startled and dropped her quill in surprise. She'd been staring at him again and her skin became flushed.

"N-nothing, Malfoy! I- I am so sorry, I didn't mean to stare... I was distracted- " she fumbled and he scoffed.

"Oh, yes, of course. I'm sure I am being so bloody distracting over here, quietly trying to do my work!" he hissed.

She blushed darker still, and he cocked a brow at her in annoyance. She turned back to her work, and mumbled another quick apology. Malfoy watched her a moment longer and breathed out heavily. Such a bloody git.

"No problem, Granger. Just tired of people gawking at me all the time." he murmured.

"She didn't turn toward him again but he saw her nod.

"I won't gawk at you anymore." she said.

"Thanks," he replied.

They continued to work silently for the rest of their lesson, and Draco couldn't help but to notice he felt a lot more calm sitting beside her. He sighed. At least he could find some peace in this room for another thirty minutes before attempting to make his way down to Herbology unnoticed by anyone else.

oOo

"Hermione, are you okay?"

Hermione snapped to attention when she felt Ginny nudge her side in the Gryffindor common room.

"Oh! Yes, I'm sorry, were you asking me something?" she asked apologetically.

"No," Ginny shook her head, "you just had this really grumpy, concentrated look on your face and I didn't know if you were upset about something."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Just thinking about the chapter we covered today in Arithmancy. Don't worry. Actually, I think I will head to bed. I've given myself a bit of a headache." she stated, getting to her feet.

"Are you sure? Do you need anything?" Ginny asked, drawing the attention of Harry and Ron their way. Up until that point, they were engrossed in a very thrilling game of Exploding Snap.

"You okay, Hermione?" Harry asked in concern. Hermione just smiled at them all.

"Yes, just tired I think. Please don't fuss over me. I will go get some rest and be good as new tomorrow." She left them with a small wave and hurried to her dormitory and bed. She went about her normal night time routine and once she was finally settled under her covers with the curtains drawn tightly around her bed, she allowed herself to think more about what had really been troubling her downstairs.

Draco Malfoy.

It seemed to her that each new day that went by, he became more and more sullen. More reserved, more somber, more... she wasn't too sure really. She never thought she would ever witness him withdraw into himself even more so than he did back in their sixth year, but she was certain that is what was happening to him and she didn't like it one bit. Perhaps under normal circumstances she wouldn't care. He did allow Death Eaters to enter her beloved school, and he did nothing while his aunt mutilated her in almost every way on his drawing room floor... and yet, she had followed his trial. She had heard several testimonies, but that of his Godfather, his mother, and Harry Potter remained the most telling.

Draco Malfoy was forever the boy with no choice, and she could not fathom living life in such a way. What he was forced to endure the past several years made her skin crawl, and she worried that his current behavior might be an indication of further participation within the Dark Arts. She didn't see how it could be that, but she was desperate to find out, if only to help him this time and stop him from falling back into a life of pain and deceit. She had to find out. She had to help if she could.

With a heavy sigh, she snuggled into her blankets and drifted into an uneasy sleep filled with evil masks, blood curdling screams, and the glow of platinum hair and silver grey eyes in the moonlight.

oOo

**Authors Note:**

**Thank you for reading! Please leave a review and let me know what you think so far. **


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